First-time recipe-contest winner Carol Edmundson, whose grandmother was a professionally trained cook, has been cooking and developing recipes since age 5. Though Edmundson's professional trajectory went from corporate marketing executive to innkeeper to real estate agent, her strong passion for cooking and sweet potatoes remained a constant. When she read about the Get Fresh contest, she was inspired to create a healthy dish with unusual flavors, and thus was born her bacon- and corn-flecked sweet potato chowder.

Edmundson said her favorite ways to eat sweet potatoes include plain baked (until caramelized); oven-baked into fries seasoned with cumin, cinnamon, and garlic; and incorporated into a ravioli filling flavored with fresh sage and nutmeg.

To qualify for this contest, recipe entries had to include at least 1 1/2 cups of mashed sweet potato or 1 medium fresh sweet potato. And to up the ante, recipes could use no more than eight ingredients, not including herbs and spices. To find out more about the Get Fresh with Sweet Potatoes Recipe Contest and to view more winning recipes, visit ncsweetpotatoes.com.